


Ransom for My Heart

by autofuckit, avengehoes_assemble



Category: Knives Out (2019), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-01
Updated: 2020-05-01
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:21:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,110
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23952226
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/autofuckit/pseuds/autofuckit, https://archiveofourown.org/users/avengehoes_assemble/pseuds/avengehoes_assemble
Summary: Set after the events of Knives Out, Ransom finds himself penniless on the streets of New York. Discovering that he uncannily resembles the famous Captain America, he finds himself enmeshed in a world he’d only seen on TV beforeAka, the authors are gratuitously making this up as they go.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers, Ransom Drysdale/Tony Stark
Kudos: 13





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Steve looked at the news. “COVID 19 deaths rising” read the headlines, in agressively red letters. "Careful, it's coming for oldies like you," Nat smirked leaning on his doorway. Steve turned around and smiled, glad to see Nat’s familiar face. “What brings you here?”, he asked, sensing something was awry. "How are you sure this isn't just a friendly visit?", Natasha was always both impressed and alarmed at how well Steve could read her, especially because practically no one else could.  
“Hmm, maybe it’s just because I know you so well”; said Steve playfully, walking up to her. “Or maybe because you haven’t done a great job wiping the bloodstains off your suit”. He reached out for Nat’s arm, the crusted splatters of blood easily discernible with his enhanced eyesight. "It all just went so wrong," Nat confessed, wanting to pull her arm back instinctively, but finding some comfort in Steve's gentle embrace. "Standard extraction op, we made it to the LZ without any hitches. Right before takeoff, a bullet went straight through the asset. No trace of the shooter or cartridge in a 2 mile radius. Rhodes is still there on ground communication with local authorities." Natasha thought long and hard about the next words out of her mouth, knowing it would change everything as soon as Steve would know.  
“It’s the winter soldier Steve” she said softly, wishing that she could have saved him the pain that immediately covered his face. His grip on her slackened, and she found that she was now the one holding him upright. “We were transferring him to another safehouse after the last one was compromised. He was shot through clean through his leg. He’s alive— but they’ve got him”. 

Steve had turned pale by now, his handsome face looking for once, close to his real age. “Who’s got him?” He bit out through clenched teeth, dreading the words that would come out of nat’s mouth.  
"The twins." Steve tilted his head to see Tony enter through the door behind Nat. "Rhodey found evidence at the scene, just sent it over. She created a fugue in everyone's memories and he grabbed Barnes. Atleast that's the working theory so far." Steve looked up and locked eyes with Tony, knowing that in that moment they both felt the same thing. Bucky needed to be rescued, despite the danger. He looked back at Nat who nodded ever so slightly giving him the green light to say, "Commence Operation Boomerang". It took Tony all the strength in the world to push down his smile because all he could think of was saying "okay boomer" to Steve, but this wasn't the time for that.

“Time to save lover boy, cap”, said tony, feigning nonchalance, even though his gut twisted inside. Steve blushed immediately, the high points of his cheeks turning a delightful shade of red.”it’s not like that, tony”, he said unconvincingly.  
Tony ignored Nat looking meaningfully at him and instead focused on pulling up JARVIS to track the twins whereabouts so that he could reunite the man of his dreams with that metal armed shampoo commercial. "Let me know when you find something. I'll assemble the team till then," Nat said, taking immediate charge of the situation, not just because she was perfectly capable of doing so but also because she knew Steve wouldn't be in a condition to. She got up swiftly and left the room but she couldn't ignore the voice in the back of her head. She was there heading the mission the entire time, and something just didn't add up. "It could be the twins," she thought, "but it feels like something truly sinister."

Tony stood in his lab, staring at the blinking control panel without truly taking it in. He had, of course planted a tracker on Barnes, he did not take any risks when it came to that man. But this time he could not bring himself to locate the man who clearly meant so much to Steve. Selfishly he thought that if Bucky could not be located, perhaps Cap would finally be his.  
“You’re better than this tony”, he muttered to him self, shaking himself out of his thoughts.  
Tony’s fingers danced nimby over the keyboard as he activated the tracker. Thanks to his seamless technology, it took less than five seconds before the screen lit up with the coordinates. Tony’s eyes widened in horror. Sgt. Barnes was in serious danger.

Lat: 38N 53’ 33. 78° Long: 77S 3’ 38.91°  
The coordinates blared on the screen in the main conference room. Nat had called in the meeting as soon as she received intel from her source, knowing that with every passing minute their chances of seeing Bucky alive reduced. “This doesn’t make any sense,” Clint remarked before Nat had even disclosed the location. He would recognise those numbers in his sleep. He continued “This was a SHIELD extraction. How is Barnes already in the HQ?” According to Nat’s source, Bucky was at the Triskelion, the SHIELD headquarters in Washington. Steve felt everyone’s eyes on him as he stared at his feet, sensing that everyone was waiting for him to give the green light to get Barnes out as smartly as possible. But Steve didn’t want to be the smart, calm and composed leader they saw him as. His best friend was in danger, possibly at the verge of being brainwashed again. SHIELD, HYDRA. Steve felt little respect for the organisation anymore, he just needed his friend back. Natasha broke the silence, once again stepping in for Steve, and devised a plan that would involve a diplomatic visit to SHIELD as a distraction that would allow them to rescue him. Steve stopped listening after a while, his head too full of uncertainty and anger. That’s when he locked eyes with Tony across the room, who wasn’t listening to Nat either. And he knew that Tony was longing to say something to him.

“Tony?” Asked Steve, tentatively,”is there anything you want to add?”  
All eyes turned to stark, as if everyone assembled had just realised how uncharacteristically quiet the inventor had been all along.  
Tony cleared his throat “when I did the scan, something odd showed up.” He paused, taking a deep breath before dropping his bombshell “and it appears that that captain America is also up in the sheild headquarters with sgt. Barnes”. 

Nat was the first to jump up, ready with her gauntlets to electrocute Steve. But tony was quicker. The arms of the chair cap was sitting in opened up to reveal two Vibranium handcuffs that clicked over Steve’s wrists even before Nat was out of her chair. 

“We need him conscious Romanov”, chided tony, trying to hide the fact that he could not bring himself to harm a single on Steve’s geriatric head.  
"What the hell is this Stark?" Steve said as he tugged on his cuffs. They were high quality vibranium and his shield was all the way over by the door. "Just relax, Cap. We just need to sort this out," Tony explained knowing well that this situation had now become his worst nightmare. 

Steve took a moment before his response, mostly because he was calculating his and everyone's next moves. He wasn't a genius like Tony, but it wasn't his first time being held captive. He needed to get to Bucky, and whatever else was at SHIELD, and he would do it with or without the team. "I need...to get to him." He sweeped his left leg on the ground, knocking Nat over with his sheer force. Before she even hit the ground, he threw her chair at Tony with his feet, knowing he had the edge only as long as Tony doesn't suit up. Putting them both out of action for a brief moment, he needed to take care of Clint, Sam, and Okoye, and also find a way to get out this stupid chair. "Chair first," he thought. He slid to the door, thanks to the wheels under his chair and made a swift summersault through the air that made his left hand crash into his shield with immense force, freeing him. From the corner of his eye, he saw Clint taking a shot at him with his taser arrow and Okoye lifting her spear, getting ready to fight. He deflected the arrow with his shield and in another instant smashed the other cuff.

He could take Sam and Clint, but not all 3 of them. And Tony and Nat were already back on their feet. Fighting was no longer an option. His feet began moving before he even knew what he was doing and he ran back into the conference room, picked a chair during his sprint and hurled it at the glass window. Tony managed to lay just the tips of his fingers on him, with the intent of stopping him from jumping more than capturing him, but Steve slipped right through and was already in a free fall. That's when Steve realised what he had just done. Before crashing on the ground, the impact softening just enough from his shield, he whispered, "Oh god".

Steve didn’t have any time to asses the impact of the fall had taken on his body, though he stabbing throbs of pain he felt in his leg definitely indicated something was wrong. Undeterred, he he quickly surveilled the street around him, found a shiny chrome motorbike with IWDFCFTBATC emblazoned on it in gold paint Steve didn’t know if it was simply the deteriorating quality of public education (maybe he would film another PSA after this was sorted) or simply some millennial humor. The sight of the a sudden glow that lit up the windows of the top floor avengers tower spurred him into action, and he hot wired the ignition and cranked the throttle as far as he could so that he could make it to Bucky in time. 

The Avengers, or whatever they were without their leader, shifted to the research room while DUM-E cleaned up the glass from the conference room. "We have to find Captain Rogers and bring him in. What he did is inexcusable," Okoye scoffed, dreading that she would have to work this excuse of a team until T'Challa has his royal ceremonies. Clint nodded in agreement, "He can't have gone far. Fall like that has gotta slow him down. We should put a citywide BOLO."

"No." That's the first thing Tony had said since Steve fled. He explained, "We need to go to SHIELD. That's where he's headed. Every second we waste chasing Steve, we put Barnes at risk." Tony didn't know where this concern, this need to protect Barnes was coming from. He wondered if this is what motivates Steve from doing these stupid acts. Or maybe because Tony feels an inexplicable connection with Bucky. They are both head over heels for a guy who is too afraid to choose, and too proud to admit his love. A guy who will probably get himself killed before facing the music. "Wheels up in 10 then. We're going to DC," Sam chimed in, not knowing what was going on with Steve

At the SHIELD headquarters, Bucky knew that something was seriously amiss. Less than 12 hours ago, he had been at a safehouse in vermont. Technically he was supposed to be in a cryogenic pod, but Shuri had come to visit a week ago, and they saw no point in putting him back to sleep before taking him to his next de-conditioning appointment. Bucky had had a wonderful two days in islolatolation, the rust red and burn orange foliage reminding him of the stolen days in Central Park he had spent as a teenager with Steve, red cheeked and tousle haired. Plus shuri had introduced him to some pumpking spice stuff, which definitely didn’t taste like pumpkin but was still pretty freaking delicious. The departure from the safehouse was pretty normal, with Nat first cuffing him (it was only a formality, she assured) and then jabbering away to him in rapid fire Russian about some invention Tony had made called PUKE or something. They were more than halfway to their destination when things went horribly wrong. Bucky remembered seeing a red haired girl, with an air of power around her and crimson energy leaking from her palms, before he was knocked out and woke up in a sterile white room with the SHIELD logo tiled onto the floor. The blue eye man in front of him was the only person who had visited his dreams at night for years in HYDRA, but while his presence usually provoked warmth in Bucky, this time every fiber of his being was alert, screaming that something was wrong. 

"How's your leg?" Steve asked, his voice flat and stoic. Bucky felt his whole body clench tight, his fight systems ready to go. He wondered why. Was it the HYDRA training? Did someone trigger him again? Why did he perceive Steve as hostile? Bucky's thoughts became louder and louder and he felt less and less air in his lungs. He was losing control, and he could hurt Steve. "You need to leave Steve. I… I don't feel so good. I don't wanna hurt you." Steve's expression didn't change. His eyes were fixed on his wound. Suddenly, he slammed himself into the wall and groaned in pain. He yelled, "Bucky, let go of me!!" He drew a knife from his back pocket and stabbed the side of his own left arm. Bucky was watching Steve harming himself in disbelief, not understanding what was happening. He got up to help him, suddenly realising what was happening. Steve was framing him. "Buck, stop! Don't make me do this." Steve pulled out a gun which Bucky had never seen before. In fact, Bucky had never this Steve before. Bucky's eyes were desperate for answers, knowing that Steve would never do this to him. But it was too late for that.

*BANG*

Ears still ringing from the gunshot, Bucky opened his eyes with trepidation. He felt.. fine, considering he had just been shot at. Come to think of it, he wasn’t hurt at all, except why was there a pool of blood on the floor? Steve looked almost peaceful lying on the floor, the blue of his suit creating a stark contrast to the blood.  
Wait.  
Steve.  
Bucky looked down on the floor and up again incredulously, at the Steve lying prone on the floor in front of him, and the Steve standing in front of him, looking just as dazed as Bucky felt, dropping his gun with a dull thud on the floor.  
Bucky barely had time to process what was happening, that Steve wanted to kill him, and that there was more than one Steve, the one who had just given up his life for him. It was too much for brain to process, but before he could even think of doing something, sirens started blaring, and he found himself surrounded by what was left of the avengers, who looked equally confused as him. 

"What the hell?" Bucky gasped under his breath, not knowing who or what to believe anymore. The Steve that was still standing knelt down to the Steve on the ground, and that's when Bucky and all other Avengers realised he's still alive. It was a smartly calculated flesh wound through the side of his stomach, away from all the vital organs. The top Steve (lol) grabbed the Steve lying on the floor by the collar and dragged him to the wall, shoving him to sit up straighter. "What do you want with Bucky?" Steve asked as he tightened the grip on his collar. The other Steve looked at Bucky, and the rest of the team, and knew that his play was over. He couldn't keep this up with Steve present. He scoffed and replied in a biting tone, "You can't protect him forever. But I can use him to destroy YOU."

Natasha's patience was running thin by this point. She wasn't comfortable not knowing things. But this was way too crazy even for her. The two Steves knew each other. That's when Tony decided it was time to butt in. "Okay will someone please explain what in god's name is going on here?" Steve, the one who rescued Bucky, stood up and faced the team, his back to Bucky. He had broken everyone's trust in that room, and knew that the only way to make it right was to tell them all the truth.

"Everyone," Steve said, "meet Ransom."

Ransom smirked as Steve hauled him up by the collar of his cream knit sweater. After being deprived of his inheritance, thanks to that wretched nurse of his father’s ransom had moved to New York. Instead of being protected by the anonymity of crowded, bustling New York, he found himself getting accosted at every deli and subway stop, by tiny kids and swooning middle aged women alike (and on one occasion by a shy, geeky teenager, who in a quivering voice asking if she could ride America’s ass)  
It took him embarrassingly long to figure out that people were mistaking him for Captain America, the nonagenarian who the personally thought was decidedly less handsome than him but opened up a lot of avenues for him.  
He just had to drop the name steve Rogers to move from a shitty one room apartment in Long Island to a lovely loft in Brooklyn, thanks to both his veteran discount (who knew) and the fact that the landlord, a man named Phil, seemed to be an avid fanboy himself.  
It wasn’t long enough before ransom tried something a little more daring, going off to shield HQ to request devices for a ‘personal mission’. While he had sold most of what he acquired on the black market for a healthy profit (though someone really needed to keep an eye on teenagers from Queens); the only things he held on to were a universal transmitter and a serum that allowed you to change your appearance, something he thought had only existed in Harry Potter. 

Ransom knew the risks in stealing from the biggest intelligence agency in the world, but he was smart in covering his tracks. He just had to convince everyone he was Steve, and avoid the real Steve at all costs. The landlord would often try to start conversations in the hall or elevators, but Ransom had read enough about Steve to understand their history. One evening, his doorbell rang just in time for his delivery of a hummus and pita order. He couldn't wait and opened the door, expecting to smell that beautifully roasted tahini. Instead, he found himself staring directly in the eyes of Steve. All 6 feet of the real Captain America. In the flesh. Steve held up a takeout bag and said, ever so politely, "I believe this is yours." Ransom knew he had to play it safe. "I'm such a fan," he said, with the biggest fake smile on his face. Steve was not amused, he'd been around Tony enough to know when a man was protecting his feelings under the garb of sarcasm. "I'm here with a very simple request," said Steve wanting to keep this visit as short as possible. "You've been entering government facilities under my name and walking away with God knows what. If I or anyone I know sees you at SHIELD ever again, you're going back in a cell, only this time, your mother's fortune won't be able to get you out." Ransom was taken aback with how much digging Steve had done. But something was wrong. If Steve knew about the theft, why didn't he arrest him right there? And why did he come alone, without any backup? That's when it struck him. "You don't have any proof Steve," Ransom said with the biggest grin on his face. "Not yet," Steve said, underestimating Ransom, "Stay away from my life." Steve turned swiftly and left, leaving Ransom behind for good. They didn't meet again, right until now. And Ransom had some explaining to do.

Tony, who had been silent all this time finally spoke up. “It was you I met that day at SHEILD headquarters, wasn’t it?”  
Ransom turned over to Tony, and gave him a wide, shark like smile. “It was a memorable day, wasn’t it?”  
“What is he talking about, stark?”, demanded Steve, tightening his grip on Ransom. “This man is going to suffer for whatever he did”. 

“He didn’t do anything wrong,”, said tony, his cheeks turning a shade of red that almost matched the color of his suit. 

/flashback\

Tony had strolled into Shield tower early that afternoon, after a night of frustratingly poor progress on his sourdough starter. Pepper kept reminding him that sourdough couldn’t be rushed, unlike his mechanical creations, but tony would go berserk if he stared at yeast rising for any more. Accepting defeat, Tony had instead decided to go to shield. As an avenger and major manufacturer of SHIELD’s technology, he decided that he would go soak in some praise from his adoring fans and casually solve some problems they were facing at R&D. 

He was just about done saving the day at SHEILD, when he saw Steve lurking around outside the weapons room, his civilian attire of a white quilted sweater and butt hugging jeans suiting him perfectly.  
“Planning to steal a death ray, cap?” He asked Steve, purposely trying to sound casual.  
“Whatever you’re looking for, I can build you a better one in my sleep”. 

“Maybe I just found what I was looking for ” smirked Steve, walking up to tony so that his back faced the wall the security cameras were mounted upon. “I think I’ll take you up on that offer”. 

That ended up being the first of many ransom had spent at Tony’s house. 

"Why don't you look back at me at the compound?" Tony asked Ransom sensing the desperation in his own voice. But he couldn't help it. He was spending so many evenings with Ransom full of innovation, laughter, expensive wine, and the occasional deep conversation. But Steve would make no mention of them, or even acknowledge Tony's presence, which was driving him crazy. "It's leadership stuff there Tony. You know how it is, I'd lose all traction with the team." Ransom had asked Tony to keep these visits to himself early on. What started as a way for Ransom to easily get his hands on exclusive Stark prototypes and designs, which sold great on the black market, soon became the thing Ransom looked forward to the most. He felt like a teenager around Tony, hormones raging and feeling excited yet scared about everything they did together.

Ransom started staying over the nights soon, and felt better than ever. Not just because he could escape his landlord, who Ransom was sure is a spy of some kind, but also because he felt at peace near Tony. He started entering Tony's bedroom to calm him during his nightmares. Normally Pepper would be there, but she had been away to shoot a miniseries documentary on her wellness company for Netflix, and was not coming back anytime soon. After one such really bad episode, broken only my Ransom's warm embrace, Tony looked up at him and said, "There's so much to you I didn't know Steve. I'm so lucky to have you." Ransom knew, he knew he had to do it. He leaned in and kissed Tony ever so gently. But the magical moment didn't last long enough. Tony pulled his head back and used Ransom's chest to push himself away. Ransom felt fear and confusion, not knowing why Tony pushed away. "Steve...I," Tony started, still processing what had happened. "I can't do this. I've seen the way you look at him. You don't want this." Ransom felt his body physically aching. He felt a mixture of sadness and rage. He had never been denied of anything he wanted. He wasn't going to let go of this. "I look at who?" Ransom asked.

"Your pal, your buddy. Your Bucky."

//flashback end\\\

Tony looked at Ransom and back at Steve again. The two men could be twins, but there were subtle differences. Steve was more muscled, his face more weary, and Ransom was softer and leaner. He couldn’t believe he had been fooled for so long, but yet again, he had been blinded by love. He thought back to the night when he had asked Steve-no, Ransom, after he kissed him whether he had feelings for Bucky. How Ransom had simply smiled, the corners of his blue eyes tilting up, and kissed him with such intensity, such sincerity that every nagging thought blissfully left Tony’s mind. He thought of the months they had spent together, him ‘borrowing’ from Steve’s endless sweater collection, going on long drives to quaint New England villages, and warming up on cold winter nights by sharing body heat. 

Tony had just gone to India for a week to Jabalpur, his favourite and completely valid city, to check on his small business incubator at Bargi Techno Park, and ensured that the parts being supplied to the gun carriage factory were up to mark. He’d gone to Ransom’s apartment- he knew he wasn’t supposed to know where it was, but the tracker he’d installed for safety had let him know anyway- he couldn’t wait to see him and give him the indian scarf or dupatta he’d brought for him. He’d seen Ransom standing outside of the building, wearing an uncharacteristically drab hoodie, his mouth flattened into a grim line instead of his usual toothy smile.  
“I can’t do this anymore, Tony,” he’d said “we need to keep things professional for the team”.  
-

His entire life, people had flocked to him for his intelligence and money, and Tony had learnt at a young age not to let himself trust people just because they seemed to like him. For someone who formerly held security contracts for nations, his own defenses had been pathetically weak. Unable to stand the scene in front of him at the SHEILD interrogation room, he ran out of the building, not looking where he was going. 

He had just turned a busy corner when he felt an arm touch his back.  
“I don’t want to talk-” he said, turning around. His eyes widened in surprise, as the red eyes of scarlet witch bored into him.

“We wanted sgt Barnes,” she hissed with venom  
“But you’ll do even better”

And then everything went dark. 

Back in the interrogation room, Steve was getting frustrated. Ransom knew how to get on his nerves, and a small part of Steve’s subconscious registered that it had been a while since Tony left the room, and that he needed to check up on him. But not before some straight answers. “You don’t have any proof Steve,” Ransom said, unable to wipe that smug smile off his face. “Cut the cute act, Ransom,” Natasha jumped right in, getting really pissed off with this hyper-masculine drama. “We have footage of you impersonating a high ranking SHIELD official and an Avenger, footage of you infiltrating an interrogation room and attempting to murder Barnes. And we can make all that stick, so do yourself a favor and start talking sense.” Ransom liked the ferocity with which Nat came after him, but that ferocity was backed by hard cold logic. He needed to play his last and strong hand. Refusing to wipe his smug smile, he said, “It’s like your own guy said. I didn’t do anything wrong. I wonder, where is he, by the way?”

All the Avengers exchanged confused looks with each other. It wasn’t until Steve and Natasha locked eyes that they all realised: Tony. Natasha gestured to Clint and Sam, who immediately left to find where Tony was. Steve decided to resume the interrogation, “Why were you trying to kill Barnes? It was all being recorded by the cameras, you knew that.” Ransom knew that he could say whatever he wanted to, and implicate himself however bad. It wouldn’t matter because only he could get the team their precious Tony back. “Murdering him would make sure that you - Steve Rogers - would be out of the picture, accused of his death. And then,” Ransom paused a beat before making his big proclamation, “he would finally be free to choose me.”

Clint and Sam entered right on cue, visibly panting from running till the room. “Stark’s been taken. The witch just walked in and took him. Everyone in this building except us are in a mass hallucination,” Sam reported. “Oooooh she is good,” Ransom chimed from his seat referring to the witch’s powers. “Now…, which one of you is going to take these cuffs off?” A room full of the most powerful heroes in the world, and Ransom had brought them to their knees.

It was a big bluff, but Ransom knew how to play Steve’s weak spots. He tried hard to play it cool and not let the fact that his heart was hammering in his chest show. Only one thought filled his mind.  
Tony, Tony, Tony.  
He barely noticed as Romanov knelt before him to take his cuffs off.  
He stood up as if on autopilot, and walked to the door. At the threshold, he turned over his shoulder “if you want him back alive, you better not follow me” he spat, playing the part of villain the best he could. Moment he was out of their line of sight, he turned on his heels and ran. 

He knew that his little stunt wouldn’t work for too long, but he also knew that telling the truth would have been even less effective.  
The fact that he had just been found in a very incriminating position, coupled with Steve’s distrust for him, would’ve ensured that the narrow window he had to save tony would be taken up by questioning, suspicion and needless planning. 

“I’m coming tony,” he whispered fiercely.”I’m going to save you no matter what it takes”. 

-

Thirty miles away, Tony found himself at a familiar address. 117A Bleeker Street.  
He could feel the magic heavily coating the air as scarlet witch shoved him toward the door of the Sanctum Sanctorum, restraining effortlessly with red tendrils of her magic. What tony saw when he stepped into the dimly lit hallway made him realise that he was in some majorly deep shit.

"You put up quite a performance for a kid's magician". Tony tried to diffuse the situation with a quip, not his best, but enough to draw out his foe from the shadows. It took Tony a few seconds to place the tall man in a black robe in front of him. Tony had only seen a file on him, never actually had an encounter. The man in front of him was Mordo, known only to Tony as the 'guy who was kinda a dick to Strange'. Mordo replied in a low booming voice, "That was just previews. Wait until opening night." Tony looked past Mordo, hoping Strange would jump in any moment and free him from the scarlet tendrils. But there was no one coming. "Where's Strange?" Tony demanded. "Please don't concern yourself with the Sorcerer Supreme. He's fine, he's just...far away and without his sling ring," Mordo took out 2 weird rings from his pocket, one for Strange and one for Wong presumably, "...he won't make it back here for a while."

Tony struggled against his mystical bonds, with no luck. "And what the hell do you want, Scarlet? You went after Barnes first and then me." Scarlet gave no reply, just stood quietly, eyes fixed on Tony. "We dropped Barnes at your SHIELD as soon as we were done with him. You won't be so lucky." Tony was tired of the constant plot twists and turns. He just wanted to crawl back into his bed and have Steve comfort him. Steve, or Ransom now, he guessed. He realised he hadn't even thought about who he was with all this time. His chain of thoughts would've led him somewhere but he was once again interrupted by Mordo. "Stark, you figured out time travel like it was a joke. Your genius, combined with my mystic arts, would finally give me the power to defeat Strange even with his time stone toy." Time. Tony understood why he was there. Mordo wanted Tony's help to defeat Stranger, the time stone keeper. "The thing about that is," Tony said quipping again, "that's gonna be long battle of intellectual property rights. You don't wanna go down that road." 

Mordo smiled, anticipating Tony's refusal to cooperate. "That is where Sgt Barnes comes in. You see, controlling you though magic is something Strange can undo. But there is nothing like the HYDRA formula that turned Barnes' brain into a mush." Tony's heart started racing, danger was imminent. If Mordo conditions Tony to obey him the old fashioned HYDRA way, who knows what would happen. "Barnes is no longer under HYDRA condition," Tony said, reassuring himself more than making a retaliatory statement. "That's because he had somebody who loved him. But you, you've pushed everyone away in your life. No one can bring you back, Stark." 

Tony couldn't hear himself think anymore. Fear and panic took over, as he saw Mordo gesturing to Scarlet Witch who moved closer. Having learnt all about Barnes' conditioning, she summoned her powers and sent waves of crimson darting towards Tony. And all he could do was scream. Endlessly and without anyone to hear him.

-

Ransom becoming a HYDRA agent had all been a matter of chance. After Steve had oh so kindly broken up with Tony for him, in a fit of anger, he had put up some indecipherable schematics for sale at an outrageous price on the dark web, with the hope of buying some sweaters to bring back the warmth that Steve had taken away from his life.  
The plans had been snapped up almost immediately, but rather than requesting an anonymous transfer like most of his seedy customers requested, this person asked to meet in person, at the four seasons no less. Feeling reckless, and up for a good meal, Ransom decided to agree, and one late autumn day found him sitting face to face with a Mr. Sitwell, whose unnervingly handsome face surprisingly did not sit well with Ransom.  
He could only sit in stunned silence as Mr. Sitwell-Jasper laid out his offer to him.  
Come work as a HYDRA agent. Impersonate Steve every now and then to worsen the reputation of the Avengers. Spread Chaos in general. 

Working for HYDRA would have gone against Ransom’s already dubious moral code, but he didn’t have a penny to his name; and he his days of stealing from SHIELD were numbered at best.  
The hatred he felt for Steve in the moment, for backing him into this corner, cemented his decision. 

“I accept” he stated, simply, the moment Jasper had finished speaking. 

Sitwell’s eyes glinted dangerously. “Excellent” he replied. “It just so happens that I’ve taken a rather personal interest to you joining the cause”. 

Work at HYDRA honestly wasn’t that bad. The general attitude of xenophobia and hatred wasn’t all to different from his MAGA supporting uncles and cousins. 

It was all fine till his first mission arrived.  
It had been delivered to his new address, a rustic Brooklyn loft instead of his old shithole, five words typed behind a postcard featuring the Statue of Liberty. 

“Bring back the winter soldier”.


	2. Chapter 2

  
"Redwing tagged Ransom till the Stark Tower. He stole a suit and is in flight mode right now, heading east."

"Do we know his destination?" Natasha asked, hoping that their fugitive does not cross into international territory.

"No, but unlike Stark's suit, he hasn't disabled the tracking, so we know exactly where he is," Sam replied.

Without missing a beat, Steve ordered, "Nat, Vision, with me. We'll take the Quinjet and follow The Winter Soldier. In Ransom's eyes, it was the Winter Soldier who came between him and Tony, more so than Steve. Ransom had a vague idea about Barnes' history: the war, the capture, the rescue by his knight in red white and blue, the fall, the cryo, the reunion, the civil war, and the ultimate resolution. He knew Tony had his reservations about Barnes still, but let him assist the Avengers as a consultant once in a while. Those were probably the meetings in which Tony realised how much Barnes actually means to Steve. It's always about them, Ransom thought. It's always Steve and Bucky and nothing else. Well, Ransom thought, not anymore. This was his chance to destroy Bucky, and even Steve. Destruction was always the easiest path for Ransom. 

Random had access to all HYDRA resources, which were considerable even after its supposed dismantling. He couldn't help but wonder how much easier getting his rightful inheritance would have been for him with all these resources, rather than that Kentucky fried accented Blanc he had to resort to. He called in for HYDRA's most powerful assets: Wanda and Pietro Maximoff, who were supposed to deliver Barnes to him. 2 hours after their rendezvous time, he realised that the twins double crossed him and wouldn't show. Half an hour later, he had to beg Sitwell for a second chance at bringing in Barnes. That was the first time the seriousness of working with a Nazi organisation dawned on him. These guys didn't fuck around.

On his way to SHIELD HQ, where he was informed that Barnes is in safe custody, he made a choice that would forever change his life. He started all this to distract and hopefully heal himself from Tony's rejection, and only ever wanted him back. Ransom knew, he knew for sure, that he had to get Tony back, and disentangle himself from these web of conspiracies. 

So he decided to focus on the original problem between him and Tony: Steve. 

-

Ransom was halfway back to SHEILD HQ when his rage started to temper down and he realised what a colossally stupid decision he was making. While it was easy to pin everything on Steve and hope that that he would be able to successfully beat the blonde avenger to a pulp, he knew deep down inside that this rage was only a means of channeling his helplessness about Tony. He had no money, no powers (apart from his dashing good looks , and at this point he was probably a fugitive from both SHEILD and HYDRA. He needed to figure out a way to get both himself and Tony out of this mess, stat. 

Ransom went to a random hipster coffee shop, scanning the news to ensure that no superhero news had leaked,and sat in the back, gathering his thoughts till a very stupidly dangerous idea began to form in his mind. 

20 minutes later, Ransom stood in front of Stark tower, knowing that he was probably walking into his own death trap. But he needed to get tech, and with all the Avengers distracted and stuck at SHEILD HQ, this was the best bet he had.   
He still had security access as all the tome he had spent masquerading in SHIELD it was almost ridiculously easy for him to make it to Tony’s private lab. 

He scanned around the large room, hoping at best to find to find an old iron man prototype that he could perhaps use, when something caught his eye. 

A captain America suit. But not like any suit Steve had had in the past. This one was clearly high tech, and from the time he had spent with Tony he could recognise all the nano-circuitry woven into the fabric. With a lump in his throat, Ransom raised his hand to touch the suit, when a tag attached to the sleeve caught his eye

 _‘For Steve,_ ’ it read ‘ _an upgrade for your suit to thank you for the upgrade you have given my life’_. 

When Ransom put the suit on it fit him like a glove. 

-

Back at the SHIELD HQ, Sam used his Falcon suit arm panel to project a flight path in the air. Ransom's trail. Hopefully it'll lead us to Tony." He looked back at Bucky, who was crouching weakly next to the ground. "Sam, Clint take Bucky to the medical bay of the tower and see if anything else is missing from Tony's lab."

With those quick instructions, the Avengers scrambled to their feet and got to work. They had a team member to save and a villain to defeat. Or so they thought.

-

Ransom stood outside 177A Bleeker Street, a location he found because the new line of nano tech suits were linked. The flight till there had been very scary. Ransom had never flown a super suit before, and as sweet as the note attached to the suit was, Ransom would've loved an instruction manual as well. 

He opened the doors and walked in, determined to find his Tony. Part of him was hoping Tony would be standing perfectly unharmed in front of him and greet him with that smug smile of his. Instead, he was greeted by Wanda, who was standing on top of the stairs with a red halo like glow around her. Ransom knew that it was the time to fight. To fight for his love.

If this were a movie, Ransom would have gone in, guns blazing and in a spectacular montage would have disarmed every person in the building in a matter of minutes. But while he did have Tony’s new captain America suit, he most decidedly did not have fighting skills that should've accompanied it, so he decided to do what he knew best: to use his brains, and turn on the charm

“Hey there Maximoff” he said, giving her a blinding grin. “Wonderful kidnapping you pulled off there, hopefully they’ll reward by giving you more screen time”.  
“Breaking the fourth wall won’t help you here, Ransom” she replied, stoically. “I’m wondering whether to kill you right here or turn you over to Sitwell so you can watch Stark go insane”

Ransom’s heart pounded and his face turned white as Wanda walked toward him. He was foolish for even thinking he could attempt this. He braced to launch himself at her, but Wanda walked past him, entering dim hallway to his right. 

“Follow me” she said in a clipped voice. But when she turned around, her face was surprisingly gentle. 

The hallway was lit with what clearly was magic, and the floors slipped downward as the descended deep into the earth- Ransom had even stop hearing the rumble of the subway that they had left far above them. 

Eventually, the reached a cavernous room, lit by the same, strange light. Glowing symbols were etched on to the floor-out of which Ransom could only recognise the three headed hydra. There was no way s he was getting out of this alive. All he could hope for that he could free Tony before he met the end he deserved. 

Wanda led Ransom into yet another tunnel that led off the main underground chamber. Here, magical lighting quickly wore off, replaced with harsh white industrial lighting and the smell of disinfectant. 

Finally, the came to a halt in front of a glass door, where Ransom could make out some complicated equipment peeking behind a white screen.   
Before they walked in, Wanda turned to him, her words barely perceptible over the sound of Ransom’s thundering heart   
“Your old apartment misses you”. 

Ransom had barely processed what she said when the door swung open and Agent Sitwell rose to greet them. 

“Hail hydra” he snapped. “You’re late, agent”.   
“But at least you seem to have made yourself useful” he said meaningfully, raking his eyes up and down Ransom’s torso, to which the super suit clung. Sitwell’s eyes rested on lithely defined chest longer than was professional. “Agent Maximoff told me about the hurdles you ran into” 

Ransom risked a glance at Wanda, her face blank and unreadable.   
She hadn’t sold him out. He let out a breath he hadn't realised he was holding.

A muffled grunt came from behind the screen. A stab of fear-and hope went through him. 

“....Sgt. Barnes would’ve been useful, but Tony stark” Sitwell continued, his voice betraying grudging awe at the name of the genius “Wanda told me how you lured him out without blowing your cover. Impressive. and you seem to have obtained a Captain America suit too. This will be perfect for the next phase in our operation”. 

Ransom nodded dumbly, the lump in his throat that had suddenly emerged preventing him from speaking. 

“However, there is still the matter of your punishment. And what better way to test out our new weapon than by pitting him against Captain America?” 

  
With a flourish, Agent Sitwell pulled back the screen to reveal tony. An Intact yet somewhat pissed looking Tony,struggling against the metallic cuffs pinning him against the bed. Ransom would have let out tears of joy, if not for the fact that Agent Sitwell pressed a button that let Tony free. 

“Rodgers” hissed the dark haired man, before jumping off the bed, and landing in front of him.   
Ransom barely had the time to react when with surprising strength and deftness, Tony swept his leg under Ransom’s foot, unbalancing him and knocking him down. Without wasting a second, Tony threw himself over him, his warmth ensconcing Ransom’s body, who almost shuddered. Tony raised his arm, his warm breath ghosting Ransom’s ear. “Get me out of this, Ransom” he whispered, before bringing his fist down on Ransom’s skull, surrendering him to the darkness that claimed him. 

The next thing ransom heard was a distant clank, loud enough for him to wake up. His head was throbbing and his body felt limp. He realised he had been dangling from the ceiling with his arms tied above his head and feet barely touching the ground. He couldn't move without straining his wrists, and gave up any remaining struggle against his bonds. The distant noises grew louder and closer, clanks and grunts, all nearing him. But Ransom felt the panic set in as soon as it suddenly became quiet. Very quiet, very suddenly.

A door, about 6 feet away from Ransom blast open, letting some light enter the dimly lit room Ransom was held in. Amidst the steam and rubble, three figures walked in and it took Ransom a few moments to recognise them.

Rogers. Romanoff. Vision.

Vision shot out an energy beam above Ransom's head, shattering his chains. As an involuntary response, Ransom collapsed and hit the ground, letting out a painful grunt.

"What happened to you?" Steve asked, immediately rushing by Ransom's side to help him up, almost forgetting the mission all along. But Ransom was in no condition to respond. He was breathing heavily and visibly working through his concussion.

"Ransom," Natasha said softly, "where is Tony?"

The three Avengers in the room were all facing Ransom, waiting desperately for him to say something. Ransom, who was still on the floor, was the first to see the crimson lights in the distance, because he was the only one facing the door. Crismon lights, he thought. Not good.

With all the life left in him, Ransom screamed, "LOOK OUT".

A streak of red energy burst through the door, headed straight towards them. In one big swift motion, Steve drew Natasha close to himself and covered them both with his shield. The red streak hit the shield at the last moment, absorbing most of the force, and saving their lives.

Scarlet Witch appeared hovering in front of the doorway, blocking their only exit. She drew her arms to fire more energy streaks. Right then, Vision flew in front of her, and charged at her. He flung himself at her which sent them both flying through the roof. 

"Sitwell has got to be on one of the upper levels," Natasha said, "You get to Stark, I'll take care of HYDRA".

Natasha was getting ready to leave through the door, when Steve retorted, "You don't know what's up there Nat." 

With a smirk, the ballerina turned spy shot back, "I don't know a lot of things. Like when that movie I shot will be released. But I have a landlord on the inside, he's a good guy. You need to worry about whose side he's on," she said gesturing to Ransom, "Besides, seeing the two of you together...creeps me out."

As Nat disappeared in the dark, Steve helped Ransom up, paying close attention to him. Ransom definitely had a concussion, caused most likely due to blunt force trauma to his forehead, and some bleeding from his nose. Steve knew Ransom had never been in a fight before, maybe twitter or verbal fights with some nazi cousin, but definitely not a real fight. 

"Whoever did this to you must've hated you," Steve said, "went right for that pretty face."

Ransom looked up at Steve, and maybe for the first time ever, wasn't in the mood for these games. He wanted to cut straight to the chase.

"Tony." Ransom said, ever so softly and tenderly that Steve only heard it because of his super hearing. Before Steve could get a question in, Ransom broke the news,

"HYDRA brainwashed Tony. And it's all my fault."

Tony sat up on his hospital bed, head throbbing. He was along in the white room now, and his restraints were gone. He hefted himself out of bed,wincing as his bare feet touched the cold floor.There didn’t seem to be any guards outside. Hydra was undoubtedly sloppy at times, but this seemed intentional. He hobbled along the never ending corridor, when suddenly a hand reached out of the shadows and grabbed him. Before Tony could react, he was knocked down to his knees and his hands were cuffed behind is back. He looked up to find the guarded eyes of black widow staring at him. He sagged with relief “Nat, thank god. Remind me to buy Disney for you, you deserve a treat”.   
The Russian didn’t crack a smile. “Ransom said you’ve been conditioned. How can we trust you?”

Ransom. There was the man again, in the centre of all the drama that had unfolded in the last couple of days. Tony should have wanted to kill him, and he certainly had had the chance to. When Tony had first been let loose, he had thought it was Steve he was attacking, but as Tony had positioned himself atop the blonde, ready to punch his brains out through his skull, he had known immediately that this was not the man he wanted to kill- but knowing he couldn’t blow Ransom’s cover, he had punched him; not before he angled his mouth to Ransom's ear, and begged, “Get me out of this, Ransom”. 

Tony was jolted back to reality as sunlight suddenly hit his eyes. They had reached the ground level of the Bleeker street house, the lobby empty except for the two men standing there. Tony’s stomach dropped. Steve and Ransom, standing together. A large bruise had begun to bloom on Ransom’s head, but he still offered a weak smile when he looked at Tony. Steve looked at Tony, his eyes wary. “Hey there old champ-“ he started to say, before Tony saw red and launched himself at Cap. 

  
_‘Steve Rodgers. Captain America’._ , said the voice in his head bitterly. ’ _His competition. The man who has disrespected his authority all along and thought he could lead the avengers just because he was a beefed up Senior citizen with a metal frisbee. Who had carelessly destroyed his painstaking work with the Sokovia accords, just because his murderous childhood boyfriend had returned with a metal arm’._  
He deserved to be destroyed.   
Tony didn’t even know how he had managed to become a killing machine without his suit. He effortlessly threw jabs and punches, anticipating cap’s every move before he could strike true. Before he knew it, his knuckles were bloody-except the blood was not his, as evidenced by the red that had coated Steve’s face. 

Tony recoiled in horror at what he had done, when he heard a clapping noise above him.   
Before any of the Avengers could react, golden spirals of magic wrapped around them, locking them in place. Only Ransom and Tony were left unbound.   
Dr Stephen Strange walked down the stairway, his cloak billowing behind him. 

“Welcome to my trap, avengers ”, Strange crooned. Tony took a step back involuntarily, as Strange’s eyes locked with his.   
“Not completely broken in yet I see. But that will be taken care of in no time.”  
Behind Strange, Wong came down the stairs, holding a tray loaded with four vials full of a shimmering liquid . Behind him was Wanda, levitating up Visions’s body, which she lowered next to the Avengers, who struggled futilely against their restraints. 

  
Strange picked up the vial, and held it up against the light, making the colours of the contents shift from blue to green. “A memory potion I perfected” he stated casually. My first test subjects were the riff raft you had left in SHIELD HQ. The pretty one with the metal arm put up quite a fight”.

Steve, despite his injuries, slammed himself against the golden light, a grunt of rage escaping him. “He remembers you, don’t worry,” said Strange flippantly. “Though it’s too bad you’re not going to be able to confirm in person”. 

  
Tony knew he had to do something, say something, but even though he was free, he felt his knees lock in place. He shuddered, and just for a moment, his skin radiated scarlet sheen under the blood that coated it. Across from him, Ransom gave him a pleading look

“I’m going to wipe the last 24 hours from your brains, avengers.” Strange declared, a gleam in his eyes. “After today, there’s going to be a new captain America. And hydra will have gained its greatest asset yet”. 

  
The implications of those words crashed into Tony, as Strange levitated over Steve’s shield into Ransom’s awaiting hands, and Wanda immobilised the rest of the avengers while Wong poured the contents of the vials down their throats.   
Finally, Wanda came to stand before him. Her hand was strangely reassuring as she froze him, and cold potion trickled coated his tongue down his throat. 

The next time Tony woke up, he was in his own bed. 


End file.
